CONDUCTIVE KENAF/POLYANILINE SHEETS FOR ELECTROSTATIC DISSIPATION AND ELECTROMAGNETIC INTERFERENCE SHIELDING PACKAGING

Electrically conductive shielding sheets made up of kenaf fiber and polyaniline (KF/PANI) were successfully prepared via in situ polymerization. It was found that the amount of PANI necessary to achieve electrical conductivity transformation was as low as 5 wt%. Thus, the conductive sheet that included 5 wt% PANI in its composition showed rapid charge dissipation at 0.87 seconds and a moderate shielding effectiveness value of -6.1 dB. The mechanical properties of the obtained sheets were retained at a useable level as well. The investigation led to the conclusion that the achieved novel conductive sheet can find interesting applications as electrostatic charge dissipation (ESD) and electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding material for protecting devices - applications that require materials with mechanical integrity.